No. 40 Four Seasons Resort Hualalai, Big Island, HI
Score: 93.75
“Perfect,” “heaven,” and “the best vacation of my life” are just a few ways guests describe this understatedly gorgeous, isolated resort where all 243 recently refreshed rooms, in the low-rise bungalows, have ocean views. Lower floor quarters have outdoor showers in lava rock gardens. It’s popular with Hollywood celebrities for good reason: the five-star service is impeccable; the grounds border the dramatic volcanic rock coast with six seawater and freshwater swimming pools including a new Palm Grove pool; an open-air spa teems with tropical vegetation; and yoga, personal training, and a full menu of fitness classes are offered daily. The private 7,100-square-foot oceanfront Jack Nicklaus signature golf course is carved right into the underlying black lava, which serves as occasional bunkers.
Set along a secluded stretch of Atlantic coast, this 70-room mini-resort is a sanctuary where mountain views, sea breezes, and heady indigenous plant life converge. The property’s original 1929 gabled farmhouse has been added on to over the years, but the extensions are understatedly modern and include a Buddhist-style spa, a 16-seat cinema (showing classics, blockbusters, and kids’ flicks), and two swimming pools (one a sea-facing infinity pool, the other mountainside and ringed with boulders). Although there’s no direct beach access, the hotel has a free shuttle service that makes the two-minute drive to Camps Bay Beach—and the trade-off is a lush landscape fragrant with fynbos (wild shrubbery), hammock-swagged picnic spots, and private mountain trails bordered with pelargonium blossoms.
No. 42 Four Seasons Resort, Bora Bora, French Polynesia
Score: 93.68
Although overwater bungalows are the most luxurious lodgings at the Four Seasons, the hotel has 121 different rooms scattered along the beachside and lagoon of its motu (small private islet). Walls throughout are made of volcanic stone, roofs are palm-thatched, and interiors are decorated with teak and merbau-timber furnishings. All have extraordinary views over the turquoise-blue, coral-filled South Pacific, as well as the majestic black-rock peaks of Mount Otemanu and Mount Pahia.
As you walk into the Peninsula, the concierge and receptionist greet you by name; classical music plays when you enter one of the 339 rooms; and your bedside table has a control panel to manage the lighting, deactivate the doorbell for privacy, and alert housekeeping when you want service. Each room also has a 3-in-1 scanner, printer and fax machine. The luxury extends to the hotel’s spa by ESPA: it includes an outdoor sundeck, spa cuisine, eight treatment rooms, a steam room, and a lap pool. In 2011, Chef Anthony Schmidt joined the cafe and wine bar Pierrot Gourmet, which is worth a visit and be sure to dine at Shanghai Terrace—Food & Wine voted it one of the top 100 Asian restaurants in the U.S.
Two movable pedestrian bascule bridges provide access from the bustling waterfront to this quiet, mansard-roofed hotel on its own private quay. The sumptuous interiors here (all redone in 2008) include dark-wood antiques, blue-and-white Dutch crockery, and richly patterned fabrics that evoke the region's raw, exotic blooms. The 120 large and luxurious rooms, many with striped wallpaper and botanical prints, have one-of-a-kind artisanal pieces, like traditionally forged iron lamps and whimsical chandeliers made with dangling Delft saucers. The staff is warm and welcoming, whether they're seating you at a handsome secretarial desk for check-in, delivering refreshments poolside, pampering you with African-infused treatments at the spa, or arranging your sail around the harbor on the hotel's own 56-foot yacht.
When this long-defunct hotel reopened in 1997, Placido Domingo set the tone as the first guest. The ornate 12th-century palazzo hotel has remained a consistent five-star favorite (often taking top honors for Italy on the T+L 500 list), with rooms layered in 17th- through 19th-century antiques, Vietri tile floors, and Frette and Bulgari appointments. But the main attraction? Sea view, sea view, sea view. Even the gym and heated pool come with sweeping views (the pool from an underwater window), though for the best panoramas head for the rooftop solarium with its twin Jacuzzis. Chef Pino Lavarra’s eclectic/nouvelle-Italian cuisine has garnered two Michelin stars for Rossellinis restaurant (open April–October).
No. 46 Fairmont Mount Kenya Safari Club, Nanyuki, Kenya
Score: 93.60
Recently renovated 1950's-era hunting lodge in the Mount Kenya foothills. Appearing more like a country manor than a hotel, the atmosphere is laid back, yet refined. A picture-perfect swimming pool attracts those looking to kick back while others take part in horseback riding excursions or games of tennis and croquet. Guest rooms are aristocratic in design with mahogany beds and coffee tables. Suites add fireplaces and verandas to the list. Most unusual is the Zebar lounge lying directly on the Equator causing servers to traverse hemispheres when attending to diners. Tusks serves regional fare and international favorites from a buffet with outstanding views of Mount Kenya and the scenery surrounding the countryside hotel.
Located just a quarter mile from the Taj Mahal, the epic monument is undoubtedly the focal point at this 102-room luxury resort. Fusing Mughal and Moorish architecture, the property is a rich spread of reflection pools, terraced lawns and a grand colonnaded entrance, while interiors are flourished with sandstone floors, French doors and four-poster beds. If you can't get enough of the Ayurvedic amenities in your bathroom, head to the spa, where treatments are inspired by ancient, Indian healing methods—some almost 5,000 years old—offering an extensive menu for both men and women. Take comfort in the fact that though the Taj Mahal is closed once a week, you're not restricted by visiting hours when it comes to enjoying a close-up from the hotel bar.
Looking for a different kind of beach vacation? Look no further than the Lodge at Doonbeg, located on the sprawling West Clare Coast, in the middle of the Irish countryside. The Lodge is an hour’s drive or less from some of the world’s best golf, the famous Cliffs of Moher, and boisterous, music-filled pubs. Whether you choose a suite or a cottage, expect muted colors complemented by traditional Irish touches, like argyle wool blankets, rose-printed armchairs, and old wooden doors. After a long day of golf, come back to a supper by award-winning chef Wade Murphy in the casual Darby’s Pub or formal Long Room—and don’t forget the homemade shortcake in the fire-lit tea room.
No. 49 Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace, Budapest, Hungary
Score: 93.50
With its gold mosaic towers, 19th-century stained-glass portraits, and stylized wrought iron entryways, this 1907 palace at the base of the Chain Bridge is an Art Nouveau masterpiece. The main floor’s glass-ceilinged atrium and blinding white halls give way to 171 rooms with purple accents, peacock motifs and green- and gold marble- bathrooms. Even the spa—which recently revamped its menu—incorporates the Art Deco theme with treatments like the Pava or “Peacock” facial, a mineral and mud mask. The Gresham restaurant, now with a popular outdoor terrace, breeds a buzzing cafe culture with its strong brews and heaven-in-a-bite patisseries, like the Dobos torte (a five layer sponge cake with chocolate buttercream).
Huka is New Zealand’s original, quintessential lodge retreat founded in the 1920s. It set a high standard for other, like-minded, Kiwi luxury properties decades later, and is still doing so. Built beside the Waikato River, which spills into the Huka Falls, the 25-room lodge occupies 17 acres that have been ranked as a prestigious “Garden of National Significance” by the New Zealand Gardens Trust. All of the junior lodge suites overlook the river, while the four-bedroom Owner’s Cottage and two-bedroom Alan Pye Cottage provide secluded accommodation for multiple guests. Huka Lodge includes a range of private and indoor dining venues as well as a subterranean, vaulted wine cellar, the Jetty Pavilion on the riverbank, and a green room with walls of clipped hedging and lit by a suspended, forged metal candelabra.
History buffs will rejoice at the classically beautiful Morrison House, located near our nation’s capital. Ascend a winding staircase into the sturdy brick building, home to 45 stately guestrooms as well as a parlor, library, casual and formal restaurants, and salon bar. Rooms are decorated in soothing colors of apricot, saffron and coral, and feature touches like armoires and writing tables. Guests are encouraged to use the library, where you can curl up with some historical fiction on a big armchair. After dinner (at either the Grille or the more formal Dining Room), head over to the piano bar and sing along to old-school tunes with a live band.
樓主: SL888
在線雷達
發表於 2012-12-7 12:21:18
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